A tiny Vancouver startup has shaken up the cycling helmet market. According to WIRED, Pikio's Si Oblik road helmet scored 4.61 in Virginia Tech's STAR safety ratings — the lowest (and best) score ever recorded. That is 2.21 points lower than the previous leader, Canyon's Deflectr, a roughly 32 percent improvement in a field where many top helmets score between 7 and 10.
The helmet's design is inspired by the woodpecker's concussion-proof head. Instead of a single block of foam, the Si Oblik uses independently mounted foam sections attached with flexible connection points. These sections can move separately or detach during a serious impact, reducing the twisting forces that cause brain injuries. Founder Daniel Abram, who spent 18 years researching impact protection, says the system deforms, deflects, and detaches depending on the impact's intensity, location, and direction.
The safety gains come at a cost. At $379, the Pikio is $219 more expensive than the second-ranked Canyon Deflectr, largely because it uses around 80 components versus the typical 8 to 10 in a standard helmet. WIRED's reviewer found the helmet comfortable and well-ventilated, though slightly bulky for a road lid. Abram dismissed concerns about aesthetics, saying "form always follows function." The company has only had four damaged helmets returned so far, but each confirmed the helmet did its job in real-world crashes.